You know how most politicians handle Memorial Day? They go for the "solemn duty" and "ultimate sacrifice" vibe. It’s a formula. But Donald Trump isn’t exactly a formula guy. Every year, people wait to see what he’s going to say, and he almost always delivers something that sets the internet on fire.
Take the Donald Trump Memorial Day tweet from May 2024. Actually, it was a Truth Social post, but we all still call them tweets. It was a 200-word rant that didn’t even mention fallen soldiers at first. Instead, he wished a "Happy Memorial Day" to everyone, including the "Human Scum" he felt were trying to destroy the country.
He went after judges. He went after writers who sued him. He even called a New York judge a "wacko." It was, honestly, classic Trump.
The "Human Scum" Post That Changed the Conversation
If you look back at the 2024 message, it really highlights the divide in how we view national holidays now. For many, Memorial Day is about silence and Arlington. For Trump, it's often about the fight. His post focused heavily on his legal battles, specifically mentioning Judge Arthur Engoron and writer E. Jean Carroll.
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It wasn't a one-off.
In May 2025, now back in the White House, the tone was... well, it was a mix. He did the traditional wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He told the heart-wrenching story of Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent. But even then, he couldn't help but mention the "monsters" and "scum" from the previous four years on his social media.
Why do people get so worked up?
- The "Happy" Problem: Etiquette experts always say you shouldn't say "Happy Memorial Day" because it's a day of mourning. Trump says it anyway.
- The Pivot: He often uses the reach of a holiday to air personal grievances.
- The Contrast: In 2024, while Joe Biden was talking about his son Beau at Arlington, Trump was posting about his $91 million defamation award.
The contrast is jarring. You’ve got one side doing the traditional "sacred memory" thing and the other side using the moment to rally a base against perceived enemies.
What Really Happened with those Viral Screenshots?
You’ve probably seen that one screenshot floating around where Trump supposedly says he "sacrificed a lot" to be president and compares himself to fallen soldiers.
That’s fake. Fact-checkers, including the folks at FactCheck.org, debunked that one ages ago. It had all the "Trump-isms"—calling people "losers" and "haters"—but it never actually happened. It’s a weird part of the modern internet where people invent things to make someone look bad, even when there’s plenty of real material to talk about.
The Evolution of the Message
By 2025, the Donald Trump Memorial Day tweet style had morphed into something of a hybrid. On the morning of May 26, 2025, he posted an all-caps tirade about 21 million people entering the country illegally. He called it an "open border" allowed by "incompetent" leadership.
But then, he went to Arlington.
He stood with JD Vance and Pete Hegseth. He spoke about "American destiny." He even joked about being glad he "missed" the four years between terms so he could be president for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.
It’s this "split-screen" presidency that confuses people. You have the social media firebrand in the morning and the Commander-in-Chief in the afternoon.
Actionable Insights: How to Fact-Check Political Posts
In an era of deepfakes and doctored screenshots, you can't just trust a grainy image on your feed. If you see a controversial post attributed to a major political figure, follow these steps:
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- Check the Source Directly: Don't trust a screenshot. Go to the actual Truth Social or X profile. If it's not there, it might have been deleted, but there are archives for that.
- Use Databases: Sites like the Trump Twitter Archive or Factba.se keep a record of every single post, including the ones that get deleted seconds later.
- Look for the Timestamp: Fakes often have weird formatting or timestamps that don't align with the time zone of the person posting.
- Verify the Language: Does it sound too much like a parody? Often, fakes over-index on certain keywords to trigger a reaction.
Basically, the Donald Trump Memorial Day tweet history shows us that the way we celebrate (or argue about) national holidays has fundamentally shifted. It’s no longer just about the past; it’s a battleground for the current political moment.
Whether you find it refreshing or disrespectful depends entirely on your politics, but you can’t deny it gets people talking.